Hammer Bowling
Hammer Bowling is a company involved in the manufacture and sale of bowling balls and bowling-related accessories.
History
Faball Enterprises was formed in 1978 by Johnny Wonders and Earl Widman. In 1981, they created the second urethane ball in the market, and Hammer was born. Hammer was the first to put a logo on the side of the ball. After a PBA player was featured in a tournament telecast using the ball with its visible claw hammer logo, sales exploded. The Hammer brand was also the first to produce a urethane two-piece ball. [1] In 1996, Faball Enterprises licensed the Hammer product name to Faball USA. This company maintained the brand name until Hammer products were acquired by Ebonite International on February 8, 2002.
After the sale of its Hammer line to Ebonite, the Faball team went on to create a new line of equipment under the name of Visionary Bowling Products. They currently produce several lines of equipment including the popular Ogre series, the New Breed series and Gladiator series. Visionary Bowling Products are manufactured in St. Louis, MO.
Some of the more famous Faball era Hammer products are the Blue Hammer, Red Hammer, Burgundy Hammer, Black Hammer, The Nail and the Reaper series. Some of the more famous post-Faball era Hammer lines included the Blade series, Vicious series, Diesel series, Hawg series, No Mercy Series, Vibe series, Black Widow Series, Jigsaw series, the Raw Hammer, Hammer Hardcore and Taboo series. In the present, the Black Widow, Vibe and Raw series all still exist, along with the revival of the No Mercy series with the newer Zero Mercy line[2]. Newer popular models include the Effect, Envy and Hazmat series, as well as the Purple Pearl Urethane and NU Blue models.[3]
Hammer products were manufactured in Ebonite's Hopkinsville, Kentucky plant from 2002 through November, 2019. On November 15, 2019, Ebonite International and all of its brands were purchased by Brunswick Bowling Products, LLC.[4]
Brunswick announced that it intended to continue marketing and advertising the acquired brands under their existing identities. This acquisition therefore allowed Hammer to grow as one of Brunswick's larger bowling ball brands.[5]
In recent years, Hammer's professional roster includes established PBA and PWBA competitors along with newer, younger, bowlers.[6]
Hammer Sponsored "Staffer" Players
National
| Name | Join year |
|---|---|
| Christian Azconza | Unknown |
| Adam Barta | 2000 |
| Deo Bernard | Unknown |
| Dino Castillo | Unknown |
| Tom Daugherty | 2016 |
| Gary Haines | Unknown |
| Eric Jones | 2024 |
| Tyrell Ingalls | Unknown |
| Rudy Kasmakis | 2024 |
| Tomas Käyhkö | Unknown |
| Marshall Kent | 2023 |
| Alec Keplinger | Unknown |
| Dan Knowlton | 2021 |
| David "Boog" Krol | Unknown |
| Anthony Lavery-Saphr | Unknown |
| Troy Lint | Unknown |
| Shawn Maldonado | 2019 |
| Anthony Neuer | 2021 |
| Bill O'Neill | 2009 |
| Ronnie Russell | 2019 |
| Ryan Shafer | Unknown |
| Robert Smith | 2024 |
| Hayden Stgippich | 2026 |
| Nate Stubler | 2026 |
| Richie Teece | 2026 |
| Zach Weidman | 2020 |
| Zach Wilkins | 2025 |
| Mike Wolfe | 2016 |
| Name | Join Year |
|---|---|
| Correen Acuff | Unknown |
| Marissa Allison | Unknown |
| Sydney Brummett | Unknown |
| Sandra Góngora | Unknown |
| Chelsey Klingler | Unknown |
| Shannon Pluhowsky | 2016 |
| Rocío Restrepo | 2026 |
| Alexis Runk | Unknown |
| Lauren Russo | Unknown |
| Kerry Smith | 2019 |
| Kelly Whipple | Unknown |
| Stephanie Zavala | 2026 |
International
| Name | Gender | Country | Join Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernice Lim | Female | Singapore | Unknown |
| Darren Ong | Male | Singapore | Unknown |
| Mike Ong Jing Loong | Male | Singapore | Unknown |
References
- ↑ "HAMMER-News | EBONITE INTERNATIONAL ACQUIRES ALL RIGHTS TO HAMMER BRAND". Archived from the original on 2012-03-12. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
- ↑ "Zero Mercy Solid". HammerBowling. 2026-08-07. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ "Hammer Bowling - Balls". hammerbowling.com. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ↑ Johnson, Bob (November 15, 2019). "Brunswick Acquires Ebonite International". Bowlers Journal. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ↑ "Brunswick Bowling Products Reaffirms Commitment to Competitive Bowling". Brunswick Bowling. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ "Hammer Bowling - National Staffers". hammerbowling.com. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- 1 2 "National Staffers". HammerBowling. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- 1 2 "2015-2016 Staff Changes have begun". www.ballreviews.com. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ Snier, Bill (2025-01-04). "PBA: Teams release rosters for Elite League: Battle of the Brands". Snier on Bowling. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
- ↑ "International Staffers". HammerBowling. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
External links